Iain Lynn

A biker who took selfies and pulled wheelies on a motorway before speeding at up to 117mph has been jailed for eight months and given a 28-month driving ban.

Pawel Zietowski was filmed by an unmarked police patrol for 16 minutes as he repeatedly flouted the rules of the road, steering with his thighs and even rummaging through a backpack to find a mobile phone.

Pawel Zietowski as he repeatedly flouted the rules of the road while travelling northbound M6

The 27-year-old, who admitted dangerous driving at a previous hearing, was pulled over on the northbound M6 near Yarnfield, Staffordshire, on June 3.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court was told Zietowski, formerly of Harlow in Essex but now of Higham Avenue, Warrington, Cheshire, was riding an 06-plate Yamaha R6 at the time of the offences.

The car paint-sprayer, originally from Poland, told probation officers he had an interest in stunt riding and was "practising" on the motorway.

Passing sentence, Judge David Fletcher described the footage of Zietowski's riding as "hair-raising".

"I wanted that to be played in open court because I wanted to be sure that you had seen it," the judge told Zietowski.

"You were showing off," the judge added.

"It was clearly driving which was over a lengthy period of time, involving speeds of up to 117mph, involving you twice removing the backpack.

"You were pulling wheelies on a number of occasions and at one point you were standing up with no hands on the handlebars.

"This was a piece of appalling driving.

"You say you were involved with some sort of group relating to stunt-type driving.

"If that is the case then there are places and times for that sort of stunt-riding to take place, that place is not the M6 at two o'clock in the afternoon with lots of other vehicles on the road."

Opening the facts of the case, prosecutor Robert Price said Zietowski was given a driving ban in a separate prosecution in July after being convicted of failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

Mr Price told the court an officer driving an unmarked Audi first noticed the Yamaha because it was travelling at an excessive speed.

"He followed it for 16 minutes," Mr Price said.

"It seems plain that the defendant probably wasn't aware that he was being pursued by an unmarked police car."